Breakfast Major?
by Chezza
Summary: Jack's fed up with MRE's. Dedicated to anyone who's ever actually had to eat the damn things...


Author's notes: My second ever fanfic! Hugs to dragonlady for beta-reading it on a Bank Hol. Despite her protests.   
  
Dedication: For Ted Sadler. Thanks for the inspiration!  
  
Feedback (and constructive criticism) would be adored.  
  
Wow! this is actually the shortest story I've ever written. It's only 7 pages long in Word, which is kind of a record for me. I'm currently working on a couple of other stories, that I've been promising folks would be my next post. But, they've kinda ended up being longer than I expected and I've hit a bit of block with them. So, I thought I'd have a crack at this one, just to see if I could write short. And it appears I can. Sort of. No- one is more surprised than me that it's less than 10 pages...  
  
So, finally...any flames received will be used to light Tealc's candles Enjoy!  
  
Major Samantha Carter opened her eyes and stared blearily up at the roof of her tent. Slowly the fuzzy image sharpened and came into view. Still half asleep, she yawned widely and tugged her arm out of her sleeping bag to check her watch. 05:40. She frowned as her brain slowly processed the information. Her alarm wasn't due to go off for another 20 minutes, so what had awoken her?  
  
Instantly she became more alert and focused on her surroundings. Everything seemed okay in the tent. There was just her and a couple of packs - the tent's other inhabitant having taken the final watch for the night. Concentrating, she listened to the sounds from outside. Each planet they visited seemed to have some sort of small animal and insect life. The noises of them going about their daily activities was a comforting hum in the background. If there were any danger, it would be completely silent. She relaxed.  
  
Then she heard it. Someone was singing. If that was the correct term for it. She listened carefully. She wasn't certain, but it sounded like it was supposed to be Bruce Springsteen's 'Born in the USA'. She winced at a particularly off key moment. Murdering it was a better description.  
  
The mystery of her awakening solved, she sighed and crawled out of her sleeping bag. There was no way she was going back to sleep with that racket going on. Wasn't much point for 20 minutes anyway. She grabbed her wash kit out of her pack, then rolled up the sleeping bag and stowed it neatly away.  
  
Picking up her water canteen and wash kit, she unzipped the front of the tent and stepped out. Pausing for a moment, she inhaled the early morning air. It smelt like frying bacon. Okay that wasn't right..  
  
She started as a cheerful voice interrupted her musings.  
  
"Good Morning Camper! Sleep well?"   
  
======  
  
She looked over to see her CO crouched on his haunches over a cooking sterno, prodding something in what looked like a small frying pan. Since when did they did bring frying pans on missions? She saw he was watching at her expectantly, waiting for an answer. She cleared her throat.  
  
"Uh, yes sir. At least until someone started strangling a cat."  
  
She winced as she realized what she'd just said. She been so off balance she'd fallen back into their old routine of gentle teasing. She'd forgotten they didn't do that anymore. Not since Anise and that blasted za'tarc machine of hers. It was strictly 'Yes sir, No sir, Three bags full, sir' these days.  
  
To cover up her embarrassment she unscrewed the lid on her canteen and took a swallow.  
  
To her surprise she looked back up to find him grinning.  
  
"Are you making derogatory comments about my singing ability, Major?"  
  
Okay, she had no idea what was going on here, but she could play along. It made a nice change from the complete professionalism that seemed to dog their every move these days. Besides, it was early morning, on an alien planet, light years from Earth. Who was going to know? She could always blame it on being half asleep if it came down to that.  
  
She took another swallow before answering. Ugh. Morning mouth. She really needed to go brush her teeth. Soon.  
  
"No sir, absolutely not. Wouldn't dream of it, sir."  
  
He mock glared at her. "Hmm.good. I'll have you know I was a choir boy in my youth, Major."  
  
She choked on the water. Colonel O'Neill a former choir boy? It.wasn't.possible.  
  
He raised his eyebrows. "There a problem, Major?"  
  
"No, sir." She responded weakly, still trying to get her head round the image he'd just created. An evil thought occurred to her. Yeah, she could get him back for the bombshell he'd just dropped on her.  
  
She looked him straight in the eyes and grinned. "Few years ago now, sir?"  
  
He grinned back and waggled the fork he was holding at her. "Play nice Major, or no breakfast for you!"  
  
That piqued her interest. She wandered over to where he was still crouched over the cooking equipment. Her nose hadn't been playing tricks, it really *was* bacon in that pan.   
  
======  
  
"Breakfast?" she asked.  
  
"Yep, that's what this is - a proper decent breakfast. Guaranteed to set you up for the rest of the day."  
  
"Was there a problem with the normal rations, sir?"  
  
That earned her a disbelieving look. "Other than the fact that they look like freeze dried rabbit droppings, smell pretty much the same and probably taste like them too?"  
  
She grimaced. That was the second image that she soo hadn't needed this morning. The first had been somewhat entertaining - the thought of the Colonel in a pristine white surplus, hands clasped together, singing angelically would undoubtedly amuse her for some time to come - but that was just.ick.  
  
He'd obviously read her expression correctly as to what she thought of *that*, as he had the grace to look apologetic.  
  
"Sorry Carter. But you know what I mean."  
  
She sighed. She did know what he meant, although she wouldn't have put it quite like that.  
  
"Yes sir. That's not quite how I would have phrased it, but I do know what you mean."  
  
He gestured towards the frying pan as if that one statement of agreement explained it all.  
  
"So there you are then."  
  
"Okay." she answered cautiously. "but sir, they're the same rations we've always had. They're no different to normal. So why." - it was her turn to gesture towards the pan - ".this?"  
  
He grimaced frustratedly and ran his free hand through his hair.  
  
"Because.because I overhead you and Teal'c discussing how lousy the things were on our last mission. And it suddenly hit me that I've eaten more of those damn things in my life, than I have cooked breakfasts."  
  
Sam cringed in sympathy. That was bad. She told him so. He nodded.  
  
"Yup it is. Hence this. I decided enough was enough. Figured the rest of you might appreciate a change for once as well."  
  
"Oh I think I can speak for all of us when I say that we do, sir."  
  
"Well.there you are then."  
  
An awkward silence fell. Neither of them sure what to say next. Jack picked the cooked bacon out of the pan and placed it on a metal plate. He covered it with another plate and placed it near the small fire he'd lit to keep it warm.  
  
This was probably the longest conversation they'd had together in *months*, Sam mused. She didn't want it to end just yet. She missed this.  
  
======  
  
She cleared her throat. "So.what have we got?"  
  
Jack was obviously as keen to keep talking as she was. He turned to his left and produced a miniature cool box.  
  
"Well, the bacon you just saw. I've got sausages in here that I'm about to fry now."  
  
He glanced sideways at her and grinned.  
  
"No beans I'm afraid. It was bad enough carrying the extra cooking gear. I drew the line at hauling tin cans around. They're heavy."  
  
She laughed. "No beans! How will I cope?"  
  
They shared a smile and the moment stretched. Suddenly Sam became aware of how close together they were crouched. She swallowed and dragged her eyes away. Careful Sam..  
  
"No eggs either then?" She asked lightly in an effort to break the sudden tension. She was joking really. She couldn't possibly see how he could have managed to bring fresh eggs on a trip through the 'Gate without them breaking.  
  
""Well actually."  
  
She stared in amazement as he turned to his other side and pulled out a box.  
  
She looked at him in disbelief. "You're kidding." She said.   
  
"Nope."  
  
"How."  
  
"Like this." He replied.   
  
He flipped open the catches on the box. "Just don't tell Daniel."  
  
Suddenly she realized what it was. It was one of the containers that Daniel used for protecting any small valuable artifacts he found on the trip back through the 'Gate. It had a hard plastic outer casing and the inside was full of layers of sponge.  
  
Jack opened the box and sure enough, nestled inside atop the top layer of sponge were half a dozen eggs.  
  
She laughed in delight. She would never have thought to do that! But then she would never have thought to bring the necessary items for a cooked breakfast through the wormhole anyway. She shook her head. Five years together and the man still managed to surprise her.  
  
"So." He said. "We've got bacon, sausage, egg - although they have to be done last so they don't go rubbery - and last but not least, that liquid loved by scientists everywhere; coffee."  
  
She blinked. Coffee? Hmm.maybe her teeth could wait a while. It would make a nice change to get the first coffee of the morning. She usually had to make do with what was left, after Daniel had got hold of the coffee pan. But he was still happily in the land of nod. So.  
  
"Sounds good to me." She replied. "Shame it's not proper coffee though."  
  
Silence.  
  
======  
  
She looked across at Jack. He was staring at her innocently. "Oh come on! The eggs I'll give you. But there's no way I'll believe that you managed to a bring a full size cafetiere with you."  
  
"Nope." He agreed. "I didn't have to though."  
  
He stood up suddenly and moved over to the fire where a small covered pan was swinging from a small tripod. He pulled his jacket sleeve down over his hand and removed the pan. He turned back to her.  
  
"You want some?"  
  
"Okay." she agreed dubiously.  
  
He brought the pan back over and used the end of the fork to flip the lid off. She could see freshly brewed coffee inside, complete with the grounds floating on top. There was no way she was drinking that. She looked up at him, silently telling him so.  
  
"The cups are back there." He said, gesturing with his chin. "Get me one too, will you?"  
  
She just looked at him. He gave her the 'puppy dog eyes' look. "Trust me Sam. Please?"  
  
She swallowed as she felt her heart give a sudden thump. He hadn't done that in a *long* time. And she couldn't resist him a damn thing when he did. Turning away to hide the effect he'd had on her, she grabbed the cups.  
  
Turning back, she passed them to him wordlessly.  
  
"Thank you." He said. "Now watch and learn."  
  
She rolled her eyes. Oh, please..  
  
He grinned and turned to a pile of discarded cooking equipment. "I know it's here somewhere.where is it.OW! That's not it.A-ha!"  
  
He turned back and looked at her, brandishing whatever it was he'd been looking for, triumphantly.   
  
======  
  
"Very nice." She said, peering at it. It looked like a tiny plastic sieve. "What is it?"  
  
He placed it over the top of one of the cups and began pouring. Sam watched in fascination as the hot brown liquid poured through into the cup and the grounds stayed behind, caught by the plastic.  
  
"It's a tea strainer." He explained.  
  
"A what?" "A tea strainer. You know, for when you make tea with actual leaves, rather than just bags?"  
  
"I.uh.don't really drink tea." She stammered.  
  
"Me neither. But I did a few joint missions back in the early '90s with some British SAS guys. Struck up a good friendship with one of them - his name was Ted. He always used one of these on camp and I asked him why. Ted said it was the only way to get a decent drink.  
  
He used to carry a coupla little plastic bags around. One was full of tea and the other was coffee. He explained if you get a fine enough strainer, it catches coffee grounds, as well as tea leaves. After one of our missions together was over, I received a package from England. It was one of these. I suddenly remembered it, when I was thinking about the lousiness of military field rations. So I figured, 'Hell - why not?"  
  
Sam listened in rapt attention. Even after all this time it wasn't often Jack talked about his past. It made it a privilege to listen every time he did mention it. Realizing he was waiting for a reaction to his little story, she looked him in the eye.  
  
"Sounds like he was a smart guy."  
  
Something like sadness flashed across Jack's face.  
  
"Yeah, he was at that." He said quietly.  
  
Shaking his head slightly, he placed the pan back over the fire and passed her a cup.  
  
"Your coffee, my lady." He joked. It sounded kind of forced, but she didn't want to pry. There was obviously a sad end to the tale.  
  
"Thank you, good sir." She replied in kind. He shot her a grateful look, thanking her for not pushing for more details. It never ceased to amaze her that she could read him so well, when others seemed to think it was impossible to tell what he was thinking. It was always obvious to her, but then that probably wasn't so surprising. They'd seemed to be able to communicate without words almost from the start.  
  
He sat back down at the side of her and picked up his coffee. Silence reigned once more, broken only by the occasional sizzle when Jack poked the sausages cooking in the pan. But it was a comfortable silence this time.   
  
======  
  
Sam bent her left leg and wrapped her arms round it. Leaning her chin on her knee, she sighed.  
  
"What?" He asked, taking a gulp of his coffee.  
  
"This is nice." She said.  
  
"Yeah," he agreed, "it is at that."  
  
Their eyes met again and she faltered. Dare she say it? Do it Sam, you may never get the chance again.  
  
"Wish I could wake up to this every morning."  
  
He looked at her sharply, trying to work out if she was saying what he thought she was saying.  
  
"What, having your CO cook you bacon and eggs?"  
  
She swallowed hard. She could feel her heart thumping in her chest.  
  
"No." She replied, turning her head to look straight at him. "Having Jack make me breakfast."  
  
He closed his eyes. "Ah." He said.  
  
She looked down at the floor. Damn she shouldn't have said it! But she'd been so sure. So sure that this was his attempt to mend things between them. Damn, damn and triple damn! She could not go through another six months of this. She'd transfer first.  
  
"Of course I could do without the singing." she said lamely, in an attempt to lighten the mood.  
  
"Oh no!" He laughed. She looked up in surprise. "If you want Jack to make Sam breakfast again the future, you're gonna have to put up with the singing."  
  
His eyes locked with hers and he looked at her with an almost fearful expression, as if he was afraid of her reply.  
  
"Well in that case." she replied seriously, "I guess I can put up with it."  
  
His eyes widened. "Really?"  
  
"Really."  
  
"Sweet!" he said.  
  
They sat there staring at each other. Sam knew she had the biggest grin ever on her face, but that was okay, because so did he.  
  
The moment was finally broken by a sleepy archaeologist staggering out of his tent.  
  
"Hey is that coffee?"   
  
~End~  
  
More Author's Notes:   
  
The original idea for this came from the combination of two things:   
  
1) A wonderfully funny fanfic by Ted Sadler called 'The Wind from Nowhere'. Read it and the rest of his work. He's good. All his stories are archived on both Helio and fanfiction.net if you're interested.   
  
2) A short - yes I know, unbelievable isn't it - radio script, that I wrote for my writing group. If anyone wants to read it, drop me an e-mail and I'll send it to you. I don't really like it, so it won't be published anywhere except my hard drive, unless I'm otherwise persuaded. Hence the reason I turned to it into a fanfic. Personally, I think it works much better this way. But that's just me.....  
  
That's all folks! 


End file.
